


getting warmer

by chromyrose



Category: Free!
Genre: Birthday, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Texting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-14
Updated: 2013-12-14
Packaged: 2018-01-04 14:27:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 487
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1082091
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chromyrose/pseuds/chromyrose
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's four minutes until midnight, and Rei is reflecting on how far he's come.</p>
            </blockquote>





	getting warmer

It was four minutes to midnight; four minutes until Ryuugazaki Rei turned fifteen years old. He was lying awake in bed, curled up until thick blankets and tired from a long school day, but still unable to will himself asleep. His mind was racing with thoughts he could not suppress with the anticipation bubbling in his stomach.

Rei remembered being eleven years old, just on the cusp of his twelfth birthday, and the look on his mother’s face when he mentioned to her that no one would be coming over to partake in any cake. All his life Rei had known that he was different from other boys, because he had so much more trouble making friends than anyone else seemed to. Even his older brother had no shortage of friends, and barring them, supportive teammates who were happy to spend all important occasions with him; the other members of the track team rarely acknowledged Rei more than was polite, unless he had earned a victory for the school. Even so young, Rei understood that that wasn’t friendship. 

But now things were different; track was a chapter of his life that had concluded very suddenly. Though Rei had devoted his childhood to running and pole vaulting, he was surprised to find that he hardly missed it. Swimming was more of a challenge, but the rewards it brought were warmer, richer, and the rush of victory Rei felt whenever he beat his last time, or on rare occasions when he could place onto a podium, was unlike anything he’d felt before. 

It was obvious why swimming held such an important place in his heart now, the way his lifelong devotion never could; whatever victory he claimed in the pool was multiplied three-fold by his fellow team members- no, his friends. 

A tiny grin graced Rei’s face as he felt warmth course through his veins. Just then, the vibrating of his cell phone distracted him from his thoughts; as he went to grab it, he noticed the clock now read **12:00** in bright blue LEDs.

_Happy Birthday Rei!!~!!~~~!!_

Rei rolled his eyes at the screen, a smile growing on his face despite himself; he should have expected that Nagisa would still be awake, in order to be the first to text him. An image of Nagisa laying up in his own bed, grinning brightly at his phone, came to Rei’s mind, and he felt almost flustered by how _happy_ he felt about it. 

Before he could reply, his phone vibrated again in his hand, and he clicked over. 

_Happy Birthday, Rei! I hope this message does not wake you, I was up late with the twins._

Another vibration.

_Yo, Rei, Nagisa told me it’s your birthday today. I’ll see you later, then._

Another.

_Happy Birthday, Rei._

Rei falls asleep that night with his cell phone clutched tightly near his person because radiation be damned, he loves the warmth.

**Author's Note:**

> I feel a really strong personal connection to Rei, so I wanted to write a sweet little fic in honor of his birthday. I know what it feels like to be lonely, to reach out for friends, and I am so happy for him that they reached back. Coincidentally, my birthday was this past Thursday, the 12th, so some of these thoughts are my own. 
> 
> If you enjoyed this fic, please consider paying me a visit on tumblr, http://zahhaked.tumblr.com/


End file.
